


At A Loss For Words

by ArtistActressAthena



Series: Sanders Sides High School AU [3]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Cute, Fluff, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, and Patton just got out of college, because Logan's in college, because apparently I can't write anything without angst, except not, i don't think i'll ever learn to tag properly lmao, whOA Logan's not the teacher
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-11-05 18:47:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17924315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtistActressAthena/pseuds/ArtistActressAthena
Summary: Logan rarely found himself at a loss for words, but this adorable art teacher was making it incredibly difficult to form coherent sentences.After Logan Woods graduated from Gainesville High School, he swore to himself he’d never go back. But when his junior half-brother Roman Prince insisted he attend the art show being held there, Logan realizes that maybe he didn’t mind it as much as he thought he did.Continuation of the events of The Sketchbook/HFOHABFOL (whoa what an abbreviation).





	At A Loss For Words

**Author's Note:**

> Tw: language, mentions of a car accident, mentions of anxiety/panic attacks, mentions of self-deprecation, mentions of exclusion
> 
> I really thought I’d stop writing this AU before I got to Logicality huh...I really fooled myself there
> 
> Hope you enjoy this!

“No, no, absolutely not,” Logan finalized, carefully folding up the colorful flyer and placing it on his immaculate desk next to his laptop. “There is no way I am returning to that school, and especially not for something as frivolous as an art show.” 

Logan Woods and his ridiculously histrionic half-brother were currently in the apartment Logan shared with his college best friend, Elliot. Logan was desperately trying to complete his essay, but apparently Roman Prince had problems far grander than Logan’s grades. He’d just score extremely under par and likely fail the entire class. No big deal.

Logan pushed the flyer towards the edge of his desk and turned his focus back to the essay he was currently trying to write on his computer. “If you don’t mind, I’m trying to work on my essay.”

“Okay, first of all, rude,” Roman retorted, snatching the flyer back and stuffing it in his varsity jacket pocket. “Artists put a lot of time, energy, and emotion into their creations. Art is not  _ frivolous _ , Sub-Astute Teaching Major.” Logan made a point to ignore Roman’s retort and he could almost feel the teenager rolling his eyes at him. “Second of all, Virgil’s artwork is going to be featured and I promised him I’d be there tonight!”

Ah, Virgil. The emo-artist-boyfriend that seemed to have taken up the entirety of Roman’s thoughts and speech lately. So that was the reason Roman wanted to go to the art show so badly. The mysterious artist was also the reason Roman had been nagging Logan about his romantic life far more often than usual. Because Roman had acquired a partner and Logan had never had one ( _ How have you never dated anyone?!  _ Roman had asked when he discovered that), it had seemed that all Roman wanted to do was help get Logan a significant other, despite the fact that  _ I can handle matters of the romantic sort myself, thank you very much.  _ It wasn’t like it was a crime to not be romantically involved with someone — Logan knew that the fact that he’d never had that experience didn’t make him less of a person.

He wouldn’t have the courage to say it, though, but sometimes he didn’t quite mind Roman’s “assistance”; he was more of a romantic than he’d ever admit and the idea of having a significant other intrigued him. He was just waiting for the right person, and Roman...well, let’s just say his judgement had proven to be faulty on many occasions, and this was no exception. 

Logan sighed, grasping the edge of the desk and rolling himself away from the computer. He swiveled to face a now-pouting Roman. “Roman. Disaster Romantic. Dramatic Child. Brother of mine who I love dearly, but who I am also getting slightly annoyed with. You have a driver’s license. You may take my car if it is so vital that you attend this art show.”

Roman clenched his teeth and ran his fingers through his bird’s nest of hair. “Um...about that…”

Logan’s eyes widened in disbelief. “She took your license? Again?”

“To be fair, I deserved it this time,” Roman admitted.

Logan narrowed his eyes. “What did you do?”

“I may...or may not have...driven...Dorian’s car...into a tree?”

Logan froze, then gave Roman _ the look.  _ “ _ What _ .”

Roman rubber the back of his neck. “Yeah, I was worried that’s how you were going to react.”

“You drove a car belonging to Dorian, Elliot’s snake of a boyfriend’s vile younger brother, might I add, into a tree.”

“Um...yes?”

"On  _ purpose? _ ”

“Oh, I wish. That dick deserved it. But no.  _ Some _ body couldn’t pick me up after play rehearsal last week and the activity buses don’t run past 4:45, so I had no choice but to carpool with Dorian and his equally dickhead friends. Dorian passed out in the middle of the road so I had to drive the car from the passenger seat and I ran it into the oak tree at the intersection of Market and Beech. Long story short, it’s going to be a while until I get my license back.”

“I swear I’m the only person in this godforsaken family who can drive,” Logan muttered. “Roman, I have made it a point to teach you the importance of road safety. You and the other passengers could have gotten injured or killed _.  _ Now, I will admit this wasn’t directly your fault; I believe Dorian is the one to blame here, but I do see why you got your license taken again.”

“Which is why I’m being responsible and asking you to drive me to the art show tonight!” Roman responded. 

Logan pressed his fingers to his temple. “Roman, you know how I feel about that school.”

“I know, I know,” Roman sighed. “I get it. I don’t exactly love the place either. But this is really important to me, and since it's technically your fault I got my license taken —”

“Hold on, how is that  _ my _ fault?”

“If you had picked me up after rehearsal that day I wouldn’t have had to carpool with all of those dickheads and nearly get all of us killed! You owe me one, Calculator Watch.”

Logan attempted to contradict that statement, but Roman was indeed correct; Logan probably could have spared the extra 45 minutes of studying to retrieve his brother from school that day. He sighed. “When do we have to depart?”

“You are the most wonderful brother in the universe!” Roman declared. “About 30 minutes. Thank you thank you thank you!”

“You’re welcome.”

It was just another drive to the school. This was going to be fine.

_ Right? _

.o0o.

 

**Roman Prince [4:39 PM]: SUCCESS**

**Hot Topic [4:39 PM]: u got him to come???**

**Roman Prince [4:40 PM]: He is driving me to the school as we speak :)**

**Roman Prince [4:41 PM]: And thank heavens, too. I didn’t want to miss your art show!**

**Hot Topic [4:42 PM]: thx**

**Roman Prince [4:43 PM]: I still can’t believe I drove the car into a tree**

**Hot Topic [4:44 PM]: you can’t???**

**Hot Topic [4:44 PM]: your driving skills are actually shit**

**Roman Prince [4:45 PM]: You’re not wrong lol**

**Hot Topic [4:46 PM]: dont forget your brother has to meet mr foster**

**Roman Prince [4:47 PM]: Well yeah obviously I didn’t forget how stupid do you think I am??**

**Hot Topic [4:48 PM]: very**

**Hot Topic [4:48 PM]: bc ik you forgot until i texted you just now**

**Roman Prince [4:49 PM]: wellllllllllllllll you see the thing is**

**Hot Topic [4:50 PM]: the thing is u forgot our ART teacher would be at the ART show**

**Roman Prince [4:51 PM]: ummmmmm...yeah pretty much**

**Hot Topic [4:52 PM]: ur amazing but ur also an idiot i hope u know that**

**Roman Prince [4:53 PM]: <3**

**Hot Topic [4:53 PM]: <3**

 

.o0o.

It wasn’t until they arrived at the school when it dawned on Logan that this was most likely a terrible mistake on his part. Students crowded the parking lot as they walked to the school, creating an annoying amount of congestion. As Logan drove through the parking lot, repeatedly honking the horn of his Prius to try and dispel the crowd, the looming gray doors of the school’s entrance came into view, taunting him as he drove closer.

When Logan had been in high school, going through those doors had not been so much a daily routine as it had been an arduous task to complete each day. To his peers, he had been a robot incapable of feeling human emotion; to his teachers, he had been little more than a know-it-all. Logan couldn’t recall a single day in high school where he hadn’t eaten lunch alone and the nights when he didn’t cry himself to sleep were few and far between. He’d had no friends, no mentors, and no faculty he could truly rely on. The moment he stepped out of those doors after his last day of senior year, he had sworn he’d never set foot in the school again. Up until today, the only exceptions to that had been when Logan attended Roman’s theatrical performances, and there had been one instance during Roman’s spring musical the previous year when Logan couldn’t even sit through the whole show. Something about the way Belle was treated in her town reminded him far too much of his own experiences; it struck a nerve and he ended up having to depart at intermission. Roman, for all his faults, was very understanding of that, though he was -- also understandably -- slightly miffed when he learned what happened. 

(To make it up to him, Logan had purchased the recording of Roman’s performance and watched it with him as soon as the DVD arrived at his door. Logan had to admit that, as annoying as his brother could be sometimes, he was extremely talented. And he made a very convincing Gaston.)

Logan silently prayed he’d be able to just drop Roman off and then come back later to pick him up. He genuinely wasn’t sure if he would be able to tolerate reentering that building at the moment. But when he found a parking spot right near the school’s entrance and Roman waved at a dark-clothed, purple-haired, headphone-clad boy who Logan could only assume was Virgil, he realized he didn’t really have a choice in the matter.  _ You just have to get through an hour, Logan. Just one hour on the premises, and then you can leave. It’s going to be okay. _

Headphone Boy slid his headphones off his ears and gave Roman a shy smile as Logan parked the car and Roman bolted out. He wrapped his arm around the boy’s shoulders and pressed a kiss to his cheek, causing both of them to blush. Logan had to admit it was an endearing sight. He turned off the car, pocketed his keys, and walked toward the couple. He smirked. “So this is the famous Virgil, I assume?” he asked. 

Virgil turned beet red, but Roman kept his cheeky grin. “Yep,” Roman responded proudly. 

Virgil gave him a small smile as he fidgeted with his hoodie string. “And you’re...Logan, right? Roman’s brother?”

Logan nodded curtly, extending a hand. “A pleasure to meet you.”

Virgil cautiously returned the handshake. “Ditto.”

“Well, we’d better get to the gallery before it becomes more crowded than it already is,” Logan said as he started to methodically walk toward the school’s entrance.

“You’re coming in?” Roman questioned as he took Virgil’s hand and started walking alongside Logan.

“I might as well,” Logan replied.  _ It’s okay. You’re going to be okay. _

“Hey, Roman,” Virgil said, pointing to a figure in a blue polo shirt and jeans several feet away with his back turned talking to another teacher. “There’s Mr. Foster.”

Logan quirked his eyebrows up. “Who?”

“The new art teacher,” Roman replied, plopping himself down on the stairs. “He’s super nice and he actually gives out fun projects and he loves dad jokes and he has a drawer of candy and inspirational Post-its in his desk to help make kids feel better on bad days and he’s just all-around amazing.”

Virgil carefully squatted down next to Roman. “Yeah, once I was having a panic attack in his class because of...reasons...and he totally understood. We weren’t doing anything major so he let me have a free day to just listen to my music and doodle. He’s awesome.”

“And he’s young enough to actually understand how screwed up the education system is,” Roman added. “He graduated from college a year ago, and before that he went here for high school. I’m pretty sure he was a senior when you were a freshman, Lo.”

“That is young for a teacher,” Logan admitted. He leaned against the railing. “Now, are you going to introduce me to him or are we just going to keep talking about him?” he said with a smirk.

“Of course we’re introducing you,” Roman said, rolling his eyes. “MR. FOSTER!”

The figure turned around, looking for the source of the voice, then smiled, gave a cute little wave, and jogged over to the trio. As he got closer, his features gradually came into view.

And oh.

_ Oh. _

Oh, dear god. He was adorable.

He was short, with a mess of frizzy bronze hair with little blue streaks and bright cerulean eyes framed with royal blue glasses. He had soft cheeks, rosy lips, and a cute smattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose. He was wearing a turquoise polo and light wash jeans splattered with lavender and dark blue paint, and very muddy white canvas shoes. Logan felt that his heart rate was beginning to quicken and his face was quickly becoming warm. He had most certainly not prepared to converse with someone as attractive as this.

As he approached Roman and Virgil, he gave them a grin, making his nose crinkle up and his eyes shine.

Was it just Logan or were his knees a little shaky?

“Hey, guys!” Mr. Foster said happily. “I’m so glad you could make it!”

_ Oh goodness, even his voice is cute,  _ Logan thought _. _

“My boyfriend’s art is in this show! I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” Roman declared, standing up and throwing his free arm in the air as if raising a sword. 

“And yet if your brother hadn’t been able to drive you, you would have,” Virgil said with a smirk as he followed suit and offhandedly pointed a thumb in Logan’s direction.

And at that moment the man looked directly at Logan, eyes wide and curious.

Logan thought he was going to combust.

The man grinned again. “You’re name’s Logan, right?”

Logan rarely found himself at a loss for words, but this adorable art teacher was making it incredibly difficult to form coherent sentences. He tried to think of something to say, but his mind was completely blank. 

Roman elbowed him in the side, making him snap out of his trance.

“Yes. Sorry. Hi,” he managed to stutter. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Roman snickering and Virgil covering his mouth with his hand.

The man giggled. “Hi.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Foster,” Logan said, having found his ability to speak again. He offered his hand, and the man quickly shook it.

“Oh, just call me Patton,” he said. “It’s nice to meet you too! I’ve heard a lot about you from Roman.”

Logan gave Roman a pointed look. Patton laughed again. “Don’t worry; it’s all good things, I promise!”

“Yeah, why would I ever say anything to embarrass my dearest older brother?” Roman asked jokingly, a playful smile on his face. Virgil snorted and quickly covered his mouth with his hand.

Logan rolled his eyes. “Right, like you wouldn’t take the opportunity to make fun of me whenever I’m out of earshot,” he retorted with a smirk. To his surprise, Patton giggled at that, causing Logan’s knees to shake again.

Roman gave Logan a cheeky grin. “Come on, Virgil,” he said, grabbing the dark-clothed boy by the hand and starting up the stairs. “Let’s leave these two  _ alone. _ ” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, which prompted Logan to blush furiously and flip Roman the bird accompanied by a death glare. Roman just shrugged and winked as he and Virgil disappeared into the school.

Logan turned back to Patton who was leaning on the opposite railing. He observed that Patton’s freckled face had a slight pink tinge to it, and he looked almost...shy. 

Logan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I am  _ so _ sorry about him.”

Patton grinned. “It’s alright! I’m used to him doing stuff like that by now, to be honest. And Roman’s a really good student, so it balances out.” He raised an eyebrow. “Roman said you were his…brother?”

“Half-brother, actually,” Logan politely corrected. “We have the same biological father, but different biological mothers.”

“That’s right, he did tell me that,” Patton replied. “How much older are you?”

“Four years. I’m a junior at Sanders University.”

“I just graduated from there last year!” Patton said with a smile. “What major?”

“Education, specifically science and math education.”

“That’s really cool!” Patton exclaimed. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

Logan nodded.

“Are you made of uranium and iodine?”

Logan raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Because all I can see is U and I together,” Patton finished with a wink.

Logan blinked once. Twice. Thrice. And then --

_ Holy shit that was a pick-up line. _

Logan blushed furiously and stammered out, “A-are you made of copper and tellurium? Because you're CuTe.” He cringed at himself. “Wow, that was terrible. I’m sorry.”

Patton giggled. “No, I liked that one! I’ll have to remember it! And you’re pretty cute too,” he added shyly. 

Patton plucked a lavender Sharpie from his pocket and gestured for Logan to give him his arm. When he did, Patton scrawled something on Logan’s arm and then released it with a bashful smile.

Logan stared at his arm. A phone number had been written in gigantic, child-like handwriting. Logan flushed.  

“Just in case I forget later,” Patton explained. He hesitantly held out his hand. “Do you want to go inside and look at the art with me?”

Logan smiled softly and gently took Patton’s hand as he nodded. Together, the pair walked towards the doors to the school. 

For the first time, Logan was smiling as he walked in.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Kudos are appreciated!


End file.
